'No Pause, No Mercy': Putin's forces 'surge' despite Trump threats and ceasefire offer

Day 1,162.

Today, as Russian troops intensify offensive operations in several oblasts – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – we talk about the latest conversations amongst the coalition of the willing, where the tone is decidedly pessimistic. Then we do a deeper dive into the latest positions of China, Turkey, and Syria in relation to the war.

Contributors:

Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Narrative Podcast Producer) @Adeliepjz on X.

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @sophia_yan on X.

Content Referenced:

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Sophia Yan’s Podcasts on China - 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/how-to-become-a-dictator-podcast/

Europe ‘would struggle to put 25,000 troops on the ground in Ukraine’ (The Times):

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/europe-uk-peacekeeping-troops-ukraine-6tp2cfgg5 

Europe fears Trump preparing to walk away from Ukraine talks (Financial Times):

https://www.ft.com/content/2f7af030-7466-4c10-9c7c-a7ceaa03a70a 

Russia intensifies offensive operations in 3 regions, pushes toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/russia-intensifies-offensive-operations-in-3-regions-pushes-toward-dnipropetrovsk-oblast-ukraines-military-says/?mc_cid=063ac27037&mc_eid=08d0680a95 

Putin Renames Volgograd Airport ‘Stalingrad’ to Honor WWII Battle (Moscow Times):

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/30/putin-renames-volgograd-airport-stalingrad-to-honor-wwii-battle-a88920 

‘Do you want to show strength here?’: Russia’s ads recruiting Chinese mercenaries (The Guardian):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/10/russia-social-media-ads-videos-recruiting-china-mercenaries 

Video About Chinese Soldiers Fighting for Russia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syKWPralGKQ  

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